Kirk Jones and Robert Aramayo on I Swear | TIFF 2025 World Premiere Interview

During the world premiere of I Swear at TIFF 2025, we caught up with director Kirk Jones and star Robert Aramayo to talk about the film’s bold approach to portraying Tourette’s on screen.

Watch the full interview below:

A Story Years in the Making

Kirk Jones had been aware of John Davidson’s journey since the 1980s. Having followed updates on his life across the decades, Jones saw the potential for a film that balanced heartbreak and humor.

“There’s such an extraordinary mix of upset and tragedy, but also humour and hope,” he said.

What drew Jones in was the unpredictability of John’s dialogue never knowing what he might say or do next something he saw as gold from a storytelling perspective. Working with Robert Aramayo only heightened that creative tension, as Aramayo embraced the challenge of Tourette’s not as a limitation, but as a vehicle for truth.

Collaboration Over Control

Both Jones and Aramayo emphasized trust as the heartbeat of the project. Rather than rigidly scripting every tic or moment, they allowed space for spontaneity, something that mirrored the very nature of Tourette’s itself.

“I never felt like I was directing Rob to tic or have Tourette’s,” Jones explained. “That was his thing. I’m too respectful as a director to start telling an actor when to do this or that.”

This approach extended to scenes with seasoned actors like Peter Mullan, who had no idea what Aramayo might do next and that unpredictability became part of the film’s magic.

Preparing to Portray Tourette’s

For Aramayo, playing John Davidson was more than just a role it was a responsibility. He spent months researching the condition, speaking with people who live with Tourette’s, and immersing himself in the reality of the experience.

“There’s a total lack of education around Tourette’s,” he said. “This film tries to shift that, or at least get people thinking.”

And it’s working. Test audiences shared that after watching I Swear, they’d interact differently with someone showing visible tics. One viewer even admitted they would’ve switched train carriages before seeing the film but now, they’d smile and engage instead.

Read the full interview transcript below:

TEM (The Extra Mile): Kirk, what drew you to John Davidson? Why did you feel like now was the perfect time?

Kirk: I was aware of his story since the 80s because I’ve been documenting as he’s grown up over the years. I’ve seen him in his teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s. And whenever I’d seen those little updates, I thought, this could make a really fascinating film. I think it was because there’s such an extraordinary mix of upset and tragedy, but also humour and hope. Those elements fascinate me as a filmmaker or scriptwriter; they’re just fun to work with, as opposed to a story that’s plain and predictable. I was excited by the potential to write dialogue for someone who, at any moment, the audience doesn’t know what they’re going to say. If you think of any other genre, romantic comedy, period piece, love story, within reason, you know what two people are going to say. But I could see from documentaries and from meeting John, that anything could come out of his mouth at any moment. From a dramatic, comedic, emotional, and even tragic point of view, that’s incredibly exciting to work with. Then, when I started working with Rob, he took it to another level. Rob spoke to a lot of people, listened to a lot of tics, and he was happy and I was happy for him to do it to just let the tics come out in a scene. I think one of Rob’s first questions to me was, “You don’t expect me to tic exactly what you’ve said and exactly where you’ve written it, do you?” I hadn’t really thought about that, but of course, I said no. Tourette’s is unpredictable no one knows what’s going to come out or when. When we started shooting scenes with Rob, especially with Peter Mullan, who’s an incredibly experienced actor, he had no idea what was coming next. And I got a lot of pleasure out of watching that dynamic, and I think Rob enjoyed throwing things at him, too. It was really about working with tragedy, comedy, stigma, emotion, and the complete unknown. That’s what the condition is all about, completely unpredictable.Rob spoke to someone early on who said, “The only thing predictable about Tourette’s is that it’s unpredictable. I saw that as really rich material. My only fear was that I’d connect with John and he’d already signed film rights elsewhere but luckily, that wasn’t the case.

TEM: What would you say was the most challenging part about directing something like Tourette’s? Especially keeping it authentic but also cinematic?

Kirk : Once I had the script, Rob and I talked a lot about it beforehand. We didn’t talk much on set, because I felt he knew why the scene was there, and I trusted him to go with his gut instinct regarding when and how he would tic. Sometimes we discussed whether it was too much or too little, too forced or not enough. But I never felt like I was directing Rob to have Tourette’s. That was his thing, and I respect him too much to try to dictate something like that. It was about trust and that’s how it should be on any film. I was just incredibly grateful to find an actor who went so deep and gave the preparation so much time and respect.

TEM: Rob, how did you get involved, and what was your first reaction when you read the script?

Rob: I knew it was going to be a big challenge. For me, it was a combination of that challenge, especially the challenge of authenticity and the appeal of the role. And then, honestly, Waking Ned Devine,” a movie Kirk did, which I’d seen and thought, “Oh, this guy’s cool. From the start, it was a collaborative experience. We had a lot of time before shooting began, and many conversations about the script and about Tourette’s. I had time to meet people and dive into the research as much as I could.

TEM: You’ve played some epic fantasy roles, how does this differ from that?

Rob: It couldn’t be more different. Totally different elements, different challenges. Oil and water, really.

TEM: What’s one lesson you learned from playing John?

Rob: Good question. I think when you’re playing a role like this, as an actor, you constantly want to surprise yourself but from a place of relaxation. The impulses and choices just come to you. That’s when working on a scene becomes really amazing. With this role, that was especially true. But also, one of the biggest things I learned is that there’s a total lack of education around Tourette’s. There are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings, and the movie tries to get people thinking about it differently. Hopefully, it encourages people to talk to friends, talk to people with Tourette’s, and engage in deeper conversations. I learned a lot and hope others do too.

TEM: Is there a specific takeaway you hope audiences walk away with?

Kirk: Yes. I’ve spoken to audiences who’ve seen the film during test screenings, and I think we can be encouraged that people are finding an educational element in it. Of course, it’s a film, it’s commercial, it’s funny, and people should enjoy it as a movie. But there’s, without a doubt, an educational thread throughout. I saw a screening in London where someone said, “If I had seen someone like John on my way to the cinema this evening on the train, I would have changed carriages. If I go home and saw him now, I’d engage with them and smile because now I’d be able to understand him.”

Rob: That’s amazing

Kirk: That was, and then other people saying, “I’m going to go home and Google Tourette’s now because I realize it wasn’t what I thought it was.” That’s why we’re adding a website to different territories so viewers can continue learning after the film ends.

TEM: If you had to describe the film in one word, what would it be?

Kirk: So exciting. Rob’s already got his, I can tell. It’s so complex, it’s not really possible to use just one word.

TEM: At The Extra Mile, we’re all about going the extra mile. So, how do each of you go the extra mile? What does that mean to you?

Rob: I love hard work. I really do. I love taking it seriously. Like on this film people like Simon Hayes, who was in charge of sound, worked so hard. So many people worked hard, whether it was Ronan representing Tourette’s on set, or others involved in the filmmaking process. Everyone gave it their all. That was always inspiring and fun to be around. Passion and hard work.

Kirk : And for me, whether it’s me personally, the crew, or Rob’s contribution, it’s just never giving up. It’s easy to get bummed out or to say, “I’ve prepared for that scene, we’ll work it out on the day.” But going the extra mile means not stopping until you’re truly satisfied that you’ve done the most you can do.

StudioCanal to release I Swear in theatres on October 10, 2025